Noosa Regional Gallery, Tewantin to the Noosa Hinterland
There’s nothing to see here.
This is both true and not (not in a Schrödinger’s Cat kind of way, but because we’ve included this project in our ‘INSTALLATIONS’ section, even though there’s nothing sculptural being installed (and even that’s not entirely true – there’ll be around 80 way-finders. Let me explain)).1
A pilgrimage starts when you make the first steps away from your habits; from you friends and family; the comforts of home; from reliance on social and material things. The Camino de Santiago – also known as the Way of St. James – is a network of pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the Apostle James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in north-western Spain, where the apostle’s remains are purported to be buried. The centuries-old trails stretch across Europe, attracting more than 200,000 pilgrims per year in search of spiritual growth. French artist, Francois Davin, has charted an additional course, starting at Noosa Regional Gallery and following – as much as possible – bush trails and dust roads in the most direct line to Compostela.
Davin invites fellow pilgrims to follow the course he has charted – sharing rest stops, meals and camping sites along the way with pre-arranged hosts – starting off at Noosa Regional Gallery on Friday 25 July (Saint James Day), finishing Sunday 27 July.
Together, pilgrims will walk and share a journey through the Noosa Hinterland – an act Davin frames as a ‘creative condition’ – in line with the state in which one sets out to create art – making a step towards the unknown; the yet-to-exist; the unnecessary; that which cannot be valued rationally; that which will never be fully understood.
1 And there will be plenty to see – it’s just, most of it is already there.
ARTIST BIO
Francois Davin has created more than 200 site-responsive projects and shared art actions across five continents. Based in France, many of his projects co-create with artists/inhabitants through shared events and place-specific projects.
This artwork is a guided walk in nature. It’s about the journey, spending time with others, and noticing the world around us, not just objects.
